


Labour of Love

by keepyourpantsongohan



Category: Naruto
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Humour, Icha Icha Paradise, Kazekage Gaara (Naruto), Love in Abstract, Post-Fourth Shinobi War, Shinobi Summerfest Exchange 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-29 03:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20075362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepyourpantsongohan/pseuds/keepyourpantsongohan
Summary: “You need… this book?” Kakashi repeats uncertainly. His voice wavers, and Gaara wonders if he’s coming down with a cold. “For what?”“Research,” explains Gaara.“Research,” Kakashi echoes weakly. He looks paler than usual. “I see. And what are you hoping to learn?”





	Labour of Love

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to ggood-sir on tumblr, my Shinobi Summerfest giftee! Inspired by chapter one of Gaara Hiden.

“Rokudaime, I have a favour to ask of you,” Gaara declares, when the other Kage have left their meeting room.

“Is that so?” Kakashi asks, with a tilt of his head and a lifting of his eyes. Although the Hokage never treats him like a child, his quiet attentiveness is not so different from what Gaara remembers of his uncle. “How can I help you, Gaara?”

“I need to borrow that book,” he says, pointing to the small orange novel resting on the corner of Kakashi’s desk. 

Kakashi startles. “Uh... what?”

“‘Icha Icha Paradise,’” Gaara replies, nodding. 

The older man looks at Gaara like he’s trying to analyze a jutsu. “You need... this book?” he repeats uncertainly. His voice wavers, and Gaara wonders if he’s coming down with a cold. “For what?”

“Research,” explains Gaara.

“Research,” Kakashi echoes weakly. He looks above him. Gaara tries to follow his stare, but he can’t see anything in the direction his gaze is focused. He looks paler than usual. “I see. And what are you hoping to learn?”

“Something that only this book can teach me.” Gaara says seriously. 

He’s been thinking of how to remedy his ignorance ever since he managed to miss his sister’s impending engagement. Surely, as a shinobi, he should be more observant, even to things like romance. And there is rarely a more observant ninja than Kakashi, and no love story more famous than Icha Icha.

“Well—” Kakashi cuts himself off, and then shakes his head. He slides one hand over to his book, and then pushes it slowly towards Gaara. “Alright. Don’t tell your sister I lent this to you. She’s still peeved with me about the last joint mission between our villages.”

Gaara blinks, turning the book over. “But I am reading this novel in order to better understand Temari.”

Kakashi sighs, resting his head on his folded hands. Maybe he really is feeling unwell. “Good luck. I hope you find what you’re looking for.” 

* * *

“But why would the characters wear sparser clothing in the sun?” Gaara muses out loud, eyeing the third chapter dubiously. “Their skin isn’t protected. It doesn’t seem sensible.”

“Indeed that is so!” comes a voice from above Gaara. The speed of his appearance might have startled Gaara, if he hadn’t sensed him. “In order to be protected from all kinds of weather your clothing should be light and durable! Cover your whole body! And not too dark, so you do not attract the heat! That is why I have chosen to follow my sensei’s footsteps and wear this jumpsuit!”

Gaara looks upward to his new companion, standing on the branch of a tree with a broad smile on his face. “Hello, Lee.”

“Greetings, Gaara-kun!” says Lee brightly. “I have heard the Five Kage Summit is over! Are you staying in Konoha to enjoy the village for a while longer?”

Gaara looks at his book, and then back at Lee. “Something like that. There’s something I’d like to know, and I’m hoping I can learn it here.”

Abruptly, Lee drops down beside him. “I would be honoured to help you learn whatever it is you need! Surely, as Kazekage, you have many friends who require your wisdom!”

The other young man inclines his head. He supposes it would benefit his people if he understood more about how romance affects a shinobi. “I want to understand what it means to be in love.”

“Love?” Lee’s eyes are wider and rounder than usual. “Gaara-kun, could it be that you have fallen in love with someone in Konoha?!”

Quickly, Gaara waves his hands in protest and shakes his head. “No, no, that’s not it. I am trying to find out how a romance changes a person. My observation skills... could use some work.”

Lee nods, grin broadening in understanding. “That is a noble pursuit! It is always important to hone your skills as a shinobi.”

“And as a friend,” Gaara agrees. He looks in the direction of the Hokage tower, where he assumes his siblings, his escorts on this mission, are still lurking. “I would like to connect to the emotions of those around me.”

“I understand! How will you approach this most important challenge?”

He hands Lee the novel, sighing. “I have borrowed this love story from the Hokage. But I understand less the more I read it.”

Lee examines the book, but does not open it. “I have seen Gai-sensei discussing this novel with Kakashi-sensei!” Lee affirms, holding it out in the sunlight to examine it better. “Gai-sensei has asked me not to read it until I’ve completed my training, but I know it is story of hot-blooded passion, written by Jiraiya-sama himself!”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Gaara says, frowning. “Look at the third chapter. They are not dressed for the climate described in the story. Is dressing poorly supposed to be a sign of affection?”

Lee considers this question, thick eyebrows drawn together. “I believe it would be the opposite! If you are in love, you should want to be fashionable, so that you may go on dates with the person you love dressed to impress.”

“You seem to have some insight about love,” Gaara notes. He eyes him speculatively, and holds out a hand to receive his borrowed tome. “Could you explain what this metaphor in chapter two means? When he says ‘underneath the underneath,’ is that in reference to—”

“Genjutsu, of course!” Lee announces, with confidence so present Gaara can’t help but listen. “A ninja must see through deception and know when he is being fooled, even if, like me, he can only use taijutsu!”

Absorbing this, Gaara raises a hand to his chin thoughtfully. “I understand what you’re saying. But in context... doesn’t it seem more like... undergarments?”

Lee laughs. “Why would a shinobi want to see that?”

Gaara shrugs. “I don’t know. And I don’t know why romantic love would make you see through a genjutsu either.”

“Perhaps it is because we are more likely to be deceived when our hearts are on the line! That danger is just another part of youth!”

“So if I want to truly understand what it means to fall in love with someone, I should put myself under a genjutsu?” Gaara muses uncertainly. 

Nodding, Lee sends him another bright smile. “I believe that would be most efficient! When I have been swept away in the hot-blooded passion of my youth, it truly feels like my shinobi skills have changed. My body feels stronger, but my mind is filled with only thoughts of my love! It is like the strongest genjutsu in the world.”

The enthusiasm of his companion really is infectious. “Thank you, Lee. I think I know now what it is I must do.”

Lee gives him a thumbs-up. “Anytime, Gaara-kun!”

* * *

“Rokudaime, I have another favour to ask of you.”

Kakashi seems to be conversing with the ANBU guard outside his office window, but the moment Gaara poses his question, the second figure disappears. Gaara is polite enough not to ask. Kakashi turns around and raises his eyebrows at Gara. “You can call me Kakashi, you know. Let me guess, you want the sequel?”

Gaara shakes his head, setting Icha Icha Paradise back in its rightful place on Kakashi’s desk. “No, I would like to ask about Uchiha Sasuke.”

Kakashi’s eyebrows disappear behind his headband. “Sasuke? He’s out of the village right now. Is something wrong?”

Hastily, Gaara assures him, “Nothing’s wrong. I just have a question for him about a jutsu.”

The older man’s shoulders seem to relax. “Now that, I can help you with. What jutsu is it that you’re curious about? As you know, I’m very familiar with Sasuke’s skillset, and with the abilities of the Sharingan. What is it that you want to know?”

“My question is practical,” Gaara begins slowly. He thinks of Lee’s infectious attitude, and tries to convey his conviction through his voice. “I would like to know if he could put me under Tsukuyomi.”

Kakashi lets out a strange noise. “Come again?

The Hokage’s cold really seems to be a problem. Gaara muses on passing a word of concern to Sakura for a check-up on his way out of the village. “Tsukuyomi. It is known for being the world’s strongest genjutsu, correct? That’s why it was used as a tactic during the Fourth Shinobi War. I believe if I experience that jutsu again, with intention, I can find the information I need.”

Kakashi plops down in his chair unceremoniously. “About... Temari?”

“About Temari’s engagement, and shinobi falling in love,” Gaara elaborates.

Suddenly, Kakashi grins. Or what Gaara assumes is a grin, by the look of his eyes and the shifting shadows on his mask. “I don’t think Sasuke will be able to give you a clear answer on that one. It wouldn’t do you much good to try.”

“Then how am I find out how love works between shinobi?”

Laughing, Kakashi pulls a second book out of his desk drawer, and slides it across the desk to Gaara. “Not a clue.” He turns back to the window, placing one foot on the ledge, cuing the end of their meeting. “Let me know if you figure it out.”

Gaara sighs, picks up his new book, and begins to read.


End file.
